About The Friends Organization

The Friends organization is a non-profit organization devoted to supporting St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in the Florida Panhandle.

We are passionately committed to conservation with a mission to support the Refuge through fundraising, volunteering and advocacy. We work in many areas such as visitor engagement, public outreach, nature and historical tours, internship sponsorship and educational programs.

We also provide on-the-ground assistance for Refuge staff including conservation projects and operations support. Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge provides mission-critical funding assistance through donations, planned giving and our wonderful Nature Store and Nature Store Online.

The Friends organization was established in 1987 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In May 2015, the Association’s membership voted to adopt and legally register the name “Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge” and to do business under that name.

Over 300,000 people visit the Refuge each year, from around the country and world, to bird watch, hike, bike, fish, paddle, see the Lighthouse, or just enjoy the peace and beauty of the Refuge’s diverse habitats.

The Refuge also provides environmental education programs to over 16,000 school children, families and adults. Programs include Tots on Trails, Families in Nature, Digital Nature Photography and summer programs for school age children. Annual festivals, special events and Second Sunday guest speakers also draw hundreds of visitors.

Community support is critical to operation of the Refuge’s projects and Programs. Volunteers from the Friends Board and others in the community contribute over 20,000 hours each year. Activities include visitor engagement, leading tours and teaching, office operation and document production, assisting with conservation projects, maintaining property and equipment, Nature Store management and fundraising.

Volunteers have varied backgrounds and range in age from 18 to over 80 and include local high school and college students who come for a semester or just during Spring Break.

The Friends organization of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge also raises funds that provide substantial financial support for Refuge projects and activities. For example:

• The Friends organization raised more than one million dollars through private donations and public and private grants for preservation & protection of the St. Marks Lighthouse

• $10,000 annually is given to the Refuge by the Friends organization to support our conservation biology interns in their work.

And there are many more accomplishments and ways in which the organization supports the Refuge financially.

Funds are generated from donations, special events, solicitations, bequests, occasional grants and other gifts, and profits from our Nature Store located in the Visitor Center.

• 2021-2022 Annual Meeting

• 2019-2020 Annual Report

• 2018-2019 Annual Report

• 2017-2018 Annual Report

• 2016-2017 Annual Report

• 2015-2016 Annual Report

• 2104-2015 Annual Report

The nonprofit Friends organization is governed by a Board of Directors and a set of By-laws (adopted February 3, 2024). Its relationship with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, parent agency for national wildlife refuges, is established through a Friends Partnership Agreement.

The Friends organization is led by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, which has no paid staff. Board members can be contacted via email at info@stmarksrefuge.org.

For information on the organization’s 501(c)(3) information status, click here.

Board meetings start at 5:30 pm on the second Thursday of every other month and are held at the Environmental Education Bldg. on the wildlife refuge or at the Leon Public Library in Woodville. Board meetings are open to the public.